and instinctively the King drew his sword. If it were
magic a scratch would kill. Now he would know.

Her enemies said that the Countess could not go pale; she had her
faults, but this was not one of them. She whitened as she saw the
King standing over her with drawn sword. A hundred thoughts chased
each other through her mind. She wondered if the King would be sorry
afterwards; she wondered what the minstrels would sing of her, and if
her diary would ever be made public; most of all she wondered why she
had been such a fool, such a melodramatic fool.

The King came to himself with a sudden start. Looking slightly
ashamed he put his sword back in its scabbard, coughed once or twice
to cover his confusion, and held his hand out to the Countess to
assist her to rise.

"Don't be absurd, Countess," he said. "As if we could spare you at a
time like this. Sit down and let us talk matters over seriously."

A trifle bewildered by the emotions she had gone through, Belvane sat
down, the beloved diary clasped tightly in her arms. Life seemed
singularly sweet just then, the only drawback being that the minstrels
would not be singing about her after all. Still, one cannot have
everything.

The King walked up and down the room as he talked.

"I am going away to fight," he said, "and I leave my dear daughter
behind. In my absence, her Royal Highness will of course rule the
country. I want her to feel that she can lean upon you, Countess, for
advice and support. I know that I can trust you, for you have just
given me a great proof of your devotion and courage."

"Oh, your Majesty!" said Belvane deprecatingly, but feeling very glad
that it hadn't been wasted.

"Hyacinth is young and inexperienced. She needs a--a----"

"A mother's guiding hand," said Belvane softly.

The King started and looked away. It was really too late to propose
now; he had so much to do before the morrow. Better leave it till he
came back from the war.

"You will have no official position," he went on hastily, "other than
your present one of Mistress of the Robes; but your influence on her
will be very great."

The Countess had already decided on this. However there _is_ a look
of modest resignation to an unsought duty which is suited to an
occasion of this kind, and the Countess had no difficulty in supplying
it.

"I will do all that I can, your Majesty, to help--gladly; but will not
the Chancellor----"

"The Chancellor will co